Faded
by greysfan16
Summary: Spoiler Alert! If they were going to kill Lexie,they needed to send her soulmate along with her.


**A/N If they were going to kill her, they should have let her soulmate follow.**

Faded

Arizona didn't like that look on his face. That look that he was giving up. That look that said so much even though he was pasty white and hardly able to sit up. She knew that Callie would be devastated if he died. She knew that their daughter Sophia needed her daddy. Arizona had never liked the cocky surgeon much, but today all that had changed. She would always remember that look on his face when he said that Lexie was dead. He said it so matter-of-factly but Arizona could see the sadness in those slate colored eyes of his.

"Mark don't give up. Please just…don't." Arizona begged as she looked down at his head in her lap. He wasn't answering her, Arizona could feel his heartbeat so she knew he wasn't dead, but that heartbeat was slow…almost bradycardic.

"How is he?" Cristina demanded. She was trying so hard to be brave and let everyone else fall apart, but she was scared. Scared that they would never get out of there. Scared that she would die out there, far away from Owen.

"He's bradycardic and short of breath." Arizona answered back. To Cristina it sounded like he was going the way Lexie had gone. Cristina knew that if they lost Mark there would be at least two upset people. Derek and Arizona were closest to Mark. Cristina had never hated the guy but they had never been close. Cristina knew that went for Meredith as well. Arizona knew that they didn't have much time. They had to get themselves some help if they wanted to avoid any other fatalities.

"We don't have any oxygen, do we?" Arizona asked in a shaky voice. She could feel Mark growing weaker by the minute. Cristina shook her head slightly, this was not looking good for the Head of Plastics. Arizona turned her attention to her co-parent. She couldn't imagine having to tell Callie that Mark had died only hours after Lexie had died. She couldn't imagine looking at Sophia every day and seeing bits of Mark in the one year old. Mark had to live. He just had to. Arizona didn't want to consider the alternative.

"H-How's Derek?" Arizona asked, her voice shaking slightly from the cold.

"He's finally asleep." Cristina told her after reaching across Meredith to check on Derek.

"Mark's not going to make it is he Cristina?" Arizona asked with a slight catch in her voice.

"It doesn't look good." Cristina admitted. It was actually hard to imagine life without Mark Sloan in it and Cristina was doing her best not to think about that. She had to remain levelheaded.

"Come on Mark. Don't give in. Please. Our girls need you." Arizona pleaded. She was getting the feeling that her pleading was falling on deaf ears. Mark was declining fast. She hadn't heard him speak in hours.

"You." Came a faint mumble from Mark's lips. Arizona blinked back tears. She knew what he was trying to tell her. He was trying to tell her that Callie and Sophia didn't need him as long as they had her.

"N-No, they…they need you too Mark. Callie needs you to be there when I can't. Sophia needs you to be there for her as she grows up graduates and gets married. She needs her Daddy. Mark please, don't give up." Arizona whispered. She was done trying to hide the tears that were slipping down her cheeks and landing on Mark's pale skin. She was in so much pain. Both emotional and physical pain was enveloping her. There was no way she could separate the two right now.

"How is he?" A croaky voice came from beside Derek's cot. Meredith had tried sleeping but it just wasn't happening. She kept seeing her sister lying under a chunk of the plane.

"He's not doing well at all. We're losing him." Arizona whispered as she wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"Not Mark too." Meredith whispered. She knew how devastated Derek would be if his best friend died tonight. It was bad enough losing her sister. Facing the loss of another close family friend made her want to vomit.

"Wake Derek." Was all Cristina said. She knew that if she had found out that Meredith had died during the night and she hadn't been woken up as it was happening, she'd be furious. As much pain as Derek was in right now, he needed to be woken up so he could say his goodbyes.

"Okay." Meredith whispered. She knew why Cristina was having her wake Derek and she felt sick to her stomach. She wanted to be home with Zola. Not out here facing the death of a second person who was a part of her family. She shook Derek slightly because Derek was usually pretty easy to wake. His blue eyes slowly opened and he focused on Meredith's face.

"What's wrong?" Derek mumbled.

"It's Mark. He…He's not gonna make it." Meredith whispered shakily. Derek struggled to sit up and then Cristina helped him stand up. Slowly he made his way over to where Arizona was sitting and slowly sat back down. Cristina returned to Meredith to allow Derek to say his goodbyes to Mark.

"H…How long does he have?" Derek asked as he looked at Arizona.

"An hour at the most." Arizona whispered as she bit down on her lip willing the tears to stop. Her hand went to his neck and she felt for a pulse. She sighed relievedly when she felt the pulse. His pulse was faint, but it was still there. Her hand returned to stroking his greying hair. She was doing it as much for herself as she was for him.

Derek was heartbroken. His best friend's life was about to be cut short just hours after his sister in law's life. Mark had been there for him in some of the darkest times of his life. From his father's death to Amelia's near suicide, Mark had been there. How could Derek even think about saying goodbye?

"I'll be there for Sophia, but no one, I mean no one will forget that you helped create that little miracle. She'll know about you. I promise you that." Derek continued. Arizona looked at him and shook her head slightly. Mark's breathing was getting shallower by the minute. He didn't have long now.

"Thank you. Thank you for kicking Sam Worthington's ass when he beat me up in fifth grade. Thank you for introducing me to Addison though I know how you felt about her. That you for being my best man on my first wedding day. Thank you for not giving up on our friendship even though I wanted to give up." Derek whispered. He was quickly learning that when you had things to say, you had to say them before it was too late.

"Derek…Take care of her." Mark mumbled. He knew the end was near and he had to get out as much as he could before death took him away from earth and brought him to Lexie.

"I will." Derek promised quietly.

"Zona…Tell Sophia…Tell her I love her." Mark mumbled. God he loved his little girl and he hated knowing that he was leaving her fatherless.

"She knows but I'll tell her every day." Arizona promised as tears streamed down her face.

"Tell Cal…Tell her thank you for…for Sophia." Mark murmured. He could feel himself fading fast but he still had so much to say to everyone.

"I wll." Arizona promised as she choked back a sob. This wasn't fair. Callie was losing Mark and Sophia was losing her beloved Daddy.

"I'll find your Dad, Derek. And…Your brother Zona." Mark promised as his slate colored eyes closed for the last time. When his eyes closed, Arizona's hand moved to his neck and she felt for a pulse. She looked at Derek and shook her head even as fresh tears filled her eyes. Her daughter's father was dead. Her wife's best friend was dead. Arizona only hoped that she had offered him some semblance of comfort as he lay dying on her lap. The silence was broken by Derek's anguished sobs as he continued to sit beside Arizona. He couldn't believe that he would have to go through the rest of his life without his best friend. He had to take comfort in the fact that Mark was with Lexie. They would be together forever in heaven.


End file.
